1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to furniture articles of the type that can be disassembled, or knocked down, and more particularly relates to a knockdown sofa having five (5) uniquely designed parts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A search of U.S. patents that was conducted prior to the filing of this disclosure located the following patents in the field of this invention: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,578,453 to Rozwens (1951); 3,104,913 to Faulkner and others (1963); 3,241,885 to Deaton (1966); 4,074,919 to Watts (1978); 4,077,517 to Hilemn (1978); 4,165,902 to Ehrlich (1979) and 4,305,616 to Martinez (1981).
Rozwen's sofa bed has a seat member supported by a frame structure in the form of a box; the seat-carrying frame structure in turn is supported at its opposite ends by arm structures which are interconnected by a bottom member upon which the frame structure rests. In this manner, all of the weight of the sofa bed is transmitted directly to the bottom member and its supporting arm structures. Bolts employed thus merely hold the assembled parts in their assembled relation, and are not subjected to shearing forces.
The knockdown sofa invented by Faulkner and others is held together by a large number of bolts, clips and retaining flanges; none of its parts interlock.
Deaton's disclosure shows many different articles of furniture of modular construction; dowel pins and hinges are employed in liberal amounts to connect the various parts together. Deaton also shows the use of tongue and groove construction.
Watts' patent shows a chair construction that may be interlocked as by bolts with another similar chair construction to form a sofa.
A knockdown chair having a back panel, a pair of arm panels, a seat panel and a pair of "L"-shaped positioning blocks is shown in the Hilemn disclosure. The positioning blocks facilitate joinder of the side and back panels.
Hook-like lugs engage complementally formed recesses in the Ehrlich knockdown sofa so that no tools are required to assemble and disassemble the sofa. The lugs and lug-receiving openings are similar to the connection means commonly used in bed frames where the side rails join the upstanding legs of the head and foot boards.
The most recent patent in the field of this invention shows modular elements interconnected by cross tie members and tongue and groove means.
The constructions of the prior art employ many pieces; some of them are so complex that they are assembleable and disassembleable by consumers only if the greatest attention is paid to lengthy and complicated instructions.
Inventors have concerned themselves with knockdown furniture constructions because it is costly to transport an item of furniture such as a chair or a sofa into a shop when the item requires reupholstering. With a knockdown piece, the parts of the furniture can be disassembled and taken to the shop with less expense. The part of the furniture not requiring reupholstering can simply be left in the consumer's residence or place of business.
There is a need for a knockdown sofa that has a small number of parts and which can be knocked down quickly and reassembled easily.
More particularly, there is a need for a knockdown sofa having a base which is not covered with upholstery so that all parts thereof can be disassembled and taken to a reupholsterer while the base is left behind.